Winds of Fate [Books I-III]

Chapter 141: Resurrections

Blood-tainted steel sinks into the tapestry.

Eleanore doesn't breathe; doesn't even think. With two hands, she drives the dagger bearing Fernandez' blood across the threads, from the tip of La Florida to the slope of Brasil.

The blood scalds the haze of power.

"No," Jones hisses under his breath and turns around. "You little—"

Crack!

And the map's golden threads splinter under the steel.

~*~

With the spell broken, outside, the fires roar to life—candle to torches, to lanterns and flares. The pirates rejoice. James shakes his head, unable to suppress a smile. "Positions!" He orders, and looks on to the nest above. "You two, tell us where they are!"

Bam! Bam!

But the guns of the Royal Navy answer first.

"Onward you scallywags!" Uriah drags his leg across the deck, waving his sword. "Lower sails, starboard! You boy!" He points to Dante at the helm. "Hard to larboard!"

James barely has made sense of the command his former captain gave until a blazing ball of pure steel narrowly misses Jay's head as the young sailor tamps the powder into their cannon.

"Go! Go!" Uriah heaves, pressing a hand over her heart. "Lad."

Relieved for that save, James nods.

"You don't mind? Well, you have no choice, aye?" Uriah winks. "This is why I trained you to look everywhere!"

"Captain," James sighs, "now is not the best ti—"

"Aye! Aye!" Uriah taps his cane and digs his foot on tje floorboard. "Here's what we do: you be commandin' the guns, I'll lead the helm!"

"Aye—aye, wait!"

But Uriah has gone, sprinting the best his peg leg could let him across the deck, and only Madeline's wide blue eyes are the ones that James met as he throws a defeated hand at the captain's way. He sighs and shrugs, not really expecting Madeline to react to that. "Alright men." James scowls. "Riggers, listen to the old captain up the helm! Gunners, to me!"

"Sparta flank the eastern side!" Barclay hollers from larboard. "We will take care of the port!"

BAM! BAM! BAM!

This is why I never wanted to be a captain. James curses. One second. He has a choice to follow Barclay, but risk the whole ship. The farther from the port, the farther they are from defenses of the land and reefs. But this armada will not work if he disobeys.

"Report!" He screams to Gunther and Puck atop the nest.

"Ships westward by Santo Domingo! Shadows from the east!" Puck dutifully reports, before adding, "We can't tell who they are! They've no flags!"

"Goddamit!" James hisses. "Captain!"

"Aye, lad?!"

"To starboard!" James hollers, voice hoarse from screaming. "Douglas, at my command!"